www.paragonrecords.org
8/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS
This death squad hails from Ukraine, and has delivered their third full length, this time for Paragon Records. They play extremely heavy death metal with a decidedly old-school leaning. I can hear influence ranging from Incantation to Vader in their sound. The vocals are guttural growls and they make extensive use of layering on the recording for both emphasis and effect. They may be slightly high in the mix, but this is nitpicky. They use quite a bit of groove to make their riffs catchy, and it works like a charm on tracks like the eponymous "Ostracism," a clear stand-out track on the album. The guitarists are riff masters, with badass riff after badass riff emanating from their cabinets. They use varying degrees of technicality, and are clearly masters of their instruments. Their songs tend toward being a bit long, with most in the four to five minute range, and they balance their compositions in such a way that the songs don't seem to take that long at all. The CD itself deserves a note: it's a digipak, which I like, and the lyric sheet doubles as a band photo poster, which is a great idea and sets this release apart a bit. Usually it's a booklet stuck in there, but a poster is top notch. This is one the real death fiends should hear, and while it didn't completely blow me out of the water, it got pretty damn close, and that's a feat that shouldn't be ignored. I'll be watching for more from this band. It's got to be hard to create music while a war is going on in your country, and I wish them luck and success.
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